Founded in New York City in 1843 by immigrants from German or German-speaking territories in Central Europe, the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith sought to integrate Jewish identity with the public and civil sphere in America. In The Independent Orders of B'nai B'rith and True Sisters: Pioneers of a New Jewish Identity, 1843-1914, author Cornelia Wilhelm examines B'nai B'rith, and the closely linked Independent Order of True Sisters, to find their larger German Jewish social and intellectual context and explore their ambitions of building a "civil Judaism" outside the synagogue in America.
Wilhelm details the founding, growth, and evolution of both organisations as fraternal orders and examines how they served as a civil platform for Jews to reinvent, stage, and voice themselves as American citizens. Wilhelm discusses many of the challenges the B'nai B'rith faced, including the growth of competing organisations, the need for a democratic ethnic representation, the difficulties of keeping its core values and solidarity alive in a growing and increasingly incoherent mass organisation, and the iconisation of the Order as an exclusionary "German Jewish elite." Wilhelm's study offers new insights into B'nai B'rith's important community work, including its contribution to organizing and financing a nationwide hospital and orphanage system, its life insurance, relationships with new immigrants, and its efforts to reach out locally with branches on the Lower East Side.
Based on extensive archival research, Wilhelm's study demonstrates the central place of B'nai B'rith in the formation and propagation of a uniquely American Jewish identity. The Independent Orders of B'nai B'rith and True Sisters will interest all scholars of Jewish history, B'nai B'rith and True Sisters members, and readers interested in American history.
| ISBN: | 9780814334034 |
| Publication date: | 31st July 2011 |
| Author: | Cornelia Wilhelm |
| Publisher: | Wayne State University Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 361 pages |
| Genres: |
Religion and beliefs |
Founded in New York City in 1843 by immigrants from German or German-speaking territories in Central Europe, the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith sought to integrate Jewish identity with the public and civil sphere in America. In The Independent Orders of B'nai B'rith and True Sisters: Pioneers of a New Jewish Identity, 1843-1914, author Cornelia Wilhelm examines B'nai B'rith, and the closely linked Independent Order of True Sisters, to find their larger German Jewish social and intellectual context and explore their ambitions of building a "civil Judaism" outside the synagogue in America.
Wilhelm details the founding, growth, and evolution of both organisations as fraternal orders and examines how they served as a civil platform for Jews to reinvent, stage, and voice themselves as American citizens. Wilhelm discusses many of the challenges the B'nai B'rith faced, including the growth of competing organisations, the need for a democratic ethnic representation, the difficulties of keeping its core values and solidarity alive in a growing and increasingly incoherent mass organisation, and the iconisation of the Order as an exclusionary "German Jewish elite." Wilhelm's study offers new insights into B'nai B'rith's important community work, including its contribution to organizing and financing a nationwide hospital and orphanage system, its life insurance, relationships with new immigrants, and its efforts to reach out locally with branches on the Lower East Side.
Based on extensive archival research, Wilhelm's study demonstrates the central place of B'nai B'rith in the formation and propagation of a uniquely American Jewish identity. The Independent Orders of B'nai B'rith and True Sisters will interest all scholars of Jewish history, B'nai B'rith and True Sisters members, and readers interested in American history.
The Independent Orders of B'nai B'rith and True Sisters features in the following genres: Religion and beliefs
The Independent Orders of B'nai B'rith and True Sisters is available in Hardback
The Independent Orders of B'nai B'rith and True Sisters was written by Cornelia Wilhelm and published by Wayne State University Press
The Independent Orders of B'nai B'rith and True Sisters has 361 pages